Between Flaws and Anger
by Lost In Nevermore
Summary: You’re human behind the mask, and you’re allowed to cry, you’re allowed to make mistakes…hell you could even make many mistakes, Robin. FOR ALENACHAN'S CHALLANGE! Wootcakes. RAEROB LanguageRatedT


A one-shot for Alena-chan. And her challange...but more for her. To read why, read the note at the bottem.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.

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A hero doesn't cry. 

A hero must not show weakness.

A hero cannot let others be hurt.

A hero is someone who protects. Someone who watches. Someone who doesn't just wait for justice to happen.

That's what he always told me, especially if I had done the exact opposite. And ever since he told me, I wouldn't do it anymore. I wouldn't cry when I fell. I wouldn't even say it hurt. No matter how much red I saw.

But boy, when I found out he was THE Batman…I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to be a hero. A real hero. Not the hero Alfred would tell me I was for punching Bruce in the groin when I was mad. No I wanted to be a real, 8 year old, superhero.

After I had found out, he trained me a lot. I was always tired. But he would always teach and tell what a hero did and did not do. Showing fatigue was another thing to watch out for.

In the aftermath, I grew up to be the Robin, Batman's apprentice. Known internationally as The Boy Wonder, since currently, I was only 17.

I made a team of minor leaguing heroes and heroines, where I was their leader. They had powers that I did not, but yet I still seemed to tower over the bunch as leader. Interesting.

To everyone I had no weakness. No flaw. Nothing to poke at. Well maybe besides the fact that I'm a walking fire hazard, due to the amounts of gel I stick in my hair every morning. But other than that, I was still the ever-strong Boy Wonder.

But between you and me, I did have a flaw. A major one. And I knew I would never be able to conquer it. So, taking Alfred's advice, I'll embrace the flaw, knowing I will never be able to triumph it.

And that flaw had a name. Its name, was Ra—

--

"RAAAVEEEN!"

Time went still as Robin's eyes narrowed in fury; his mouth set in a firm line. Starfire continued to yell her loud cries to Raven.

"RAAVEN!…"

Bring carried away in a shielded capsule was Raven, unconscious and limp, and there was nothing they could do...

Robin dropped Starfire from his hold once the capsule was out of sight before walking away, completely frustrated and angry.

Wiping sweat and blood from his mouth, Robin turned to look over his shoulder a bit when Starfire called out to him.

"Robin…"

"Sorry Starfire." He muttered lowly. He turned back around, and simply walked away running a hand through his tousled hair.

"We'll get her back." Beast Boy mumbled determinedly as he helped Starfire up.

Robin stopped.

"No." Turning all the way to face the rest of his team, Robin glared at each and every one of them. "I will get her back." You could literally see his fist shaking with held in anger.

The comment made Cyborg almost want to beat something. "Oh Come ON, Robin! You can't do it by yourself! Stop being the big hero and trying to save everyone all by yourself because Raven is our friend too!" He was so tired of this! Robin would always, for one reason or another, blame himself for something that happened and he would suicidally volunteer himself to be the rescuer.

"No Cyborg—It was my fault in the first place that Raven—"

"Oh GET OFF IT! It was NOT you're fault—" Beast Boy interjected, but Robin didn't stop.

Starfire watched the argument from guilt filled eyes. She saw the situation as her fault as well…but she just couldn't help it. Looking in the direction the villains had taken her friend, Starfire tried to ignore the argument, but it seemed unavoidable.

"IF I HADN'T GONE OUT OF MY WAY TO SAVE STARFIRE FROM FALLING, IN WHICH I HAVE NO IDEA WHY SHE DIDN'T JUST FLY—" Robin aimed towards the flustered Starfire. "THEN I COULD HAVE ATLEAST NOTICED THAT RAVEN OUT OF ALL OF US NEEDED OUR HELP!"

It seemed so inhumanly quiet after Robin's outburst, and the only thing you could hear was his panting.

After what seemed like a millennium, Robin's deep breathing stopped and he had calmed down. "I'll be gone for a couple of days, don't let our city come crashing down because of weakness." Robin stated rudely before departing on his R-cycle.

--

Wind of speeds only capable with his cycle rushed past him in a fury. The sun was setting, and he hadn't slept in a good two days due to non-stop riding. But Robin wasn't ill mannered, he ate on his bike when he was hungry and he used the restroom when he needed to. But other than that, Robin continued without stop.

No doubt he would have gotten stopped by cops and maybe even taken to jail for two facts. One, he wasn't Robin. Two, it was against the law. Well, he would have gotten caught if he were actually on a paved road…

Clad in the suit doomed to betray everyone around him, Robin had battled the inner war upon wearing the deceiving suit or not. Red-X was meant to be locked up and banished from being worn…but Robin needed to wear it this time. The villains who had taken Raven were experts at their gadgets, Red X would be more needed for this job. And at this point, he would do anything for his Raven.

That was why she was his only flaw.

--

It was all a blur now. What had happened? Was it already over? Time had seemed to skip.

Robin adjusted himself in his seat for a second before making sure Raven would be comfortable when she woke up. He had bought a mini-cart to add on to his cycle so Raven could rest.

He couldn't remember much of how he had gotten her because of the fact that the only thing he saw was moving objects that he needed to get through. The only thing he heard was his heartbeat, and the only thing he felt was pain at the thought of not being able to rescue Raven. Everything else was blocked out until he could feel Raven's heartbeat against his chest once he carried her out.

Roaring the engine, Robin rode away, Raven healing herself in the cart beside him.

He stole looks towards the sleeping Raven every once in a while to see if she was still asleep. But sometimes, it was just to see how radiant she looked in the morning sun.

It was well into the night that she actually started to stir from the injection they had gave her. Of course, they paid for that later on.

"…" Raven moaned as she started to rub her temples.

Hearing her low-throated groan Robin looked off the road for a moment to see her waken. And when she opened her eyes, it seemed as if the person gripping his heart had let go.

"…I knew it was you."

Almost immediately Robin's hand whipped to his face. In all disappointment, Robin felt the cold feeling of gloves against his naked cheek. He now remembered that he had snapped the head mask off in sudden impulse a few hours ago. Thank goodness he was uptight about his own mask, meaning he kept that one on matter what. Even if it was uncomfortable to have two masks on at the same time.

"You were awake for that?"

Maybe it was the fact that Raven out of everyone had developed into his Best Friend out of everyone from the team that made him feel comfortable wearing what he was wearing, knowing she wouldn't say a word. Or maybe it was the fact that she seemed too preoccupied with her own thoughts now…

"After mindless 'power-testing' from me, they stuck me in the arm when they had seen Red-X…you… come." Raven replied, keeping her eyes on the road.

They were basked in silence when Robin hadn't replied.

A sudden gut-wrenching feeling come to Raven once she woke up, and she didn't think she could hold it in anymore.

"…Robin?"

"Yes, Raven?"

"…I have a bad feeling about something…" She replied in her monotoned vocal.

--

Blind rage fueled me to punch Cyborg in the face, and it was blind rage that made the throbbing pain of my bleeding knuckle seem like someone was merely pinching me.

I saw how much of a dent I had left in Cyborg's robotic face, and I saw how much blood was dripping from his nostril. I had the impulse to show him how serious I was by making him feel exactly how that little boy must have felt by pushing Cyborg off the Titan's roof.

There was a bit of remorse in my head, but that small little voice saying 'it was just a mistake' was in a bare whisper, and it seemed to be going away by a push of ignorance inside of me.

"Ro-Robin…"

I snapped out of my thoughts when Cyborg spoke from his seat on the Titan's cemented roof.

"I…never meant for that to ha-happen…" He was shivering.

I could feel my hands form into white hot fists at my sides as I tried to hold in my anger…but something I didn't know until later, was that I couldn't control it anymore.

Leering down into his eye, I saw it start to water while his body began to shake with held in sobs.

"That boy…I…he just…"

Something inside me snapped into oblivion when I saw a lone tear roll down his human eye, and again everything was just a blur. In a moment I had pulled the cyborg from the floor, his weight doubled from mine went unnoticed.

Pulling him up to eye level, I began to scream at him and before I knew it I had ended with a line I had heard my whole life.

"…A HERO DOESN'T CRY!"

I snapped out of my blurred rage when the sound of someone walking outside through the large metal door came to my ears.

"Is that what he told you?"

Turning my head to see over my shoulder, I saw Raven.

Almost suddenly my hands were being controlled, and they dropped Cyborg, but he continued to fall through a black void most likely made by Raven. I watched as he exited the roof with a pained expression on his face, and it was then that I felt a bit guilty.

I hung my head a little looking towards the floor as I tried to calm myself. Again, my hard breathing was the only sound to be heard.

I hadn't even heard her approach and before I knew it the feel of her power surged through my back. That was a feeling, I would never like to feel again. Even if it had been only a second, it was the coldest feeling…I had ever felt.

It was the same hurt when a child looses their parents, and the pain they feel when they are left alone. It was that feeling you get when you know you're being followed, and the fear that arises in your bones when your stalker makes themselves known. It was painful.

"You need to control yourself."

Now it seemed like an after-taste of the feeling as I felt myself become weak, and my knees began to quiver from underneath me. I started to keel over…

A light blue blinding light later, it was all gone. As I stood up to my full height, Raven took her hand off my back. I hadn't even known she had put it there.

Quickly turning to face her emotionless face, I grabbed the offending hand. "What did you do…!"

"I stabilized your rage."

"…But it didn't feel the same as last time…"

If anything, her face turned just a bit more frustrated with a mere narrow of her eyebrows. "Your rage was boiling over…"

And again, it was my fault. But its not like I denied it, because I had every right to blame myself. It did seem as if I was more…vengeful than ever. Why? Well I guess holding it in will do that to you. Like they say, don't hold it in.

Raven had helped me stabilize my emotions before, but it had never been so painful before. Lesson learned.

I growled as I collapsed on my knees, hanging my head. Due to Raven's closeness I could feel my spiked hair brush against her knees.

"I let that boy die. I didn't do anything. I should have taken your strange feeling into consideration and sped up. I shouldn't have left Cyborg in charge of making sure Jump City was safe—"

My hands protected me from meeting with the cement as I felt the back of Raven's hand slam into my cheek. Looking up, I saw she was looking down the bridge of her nose at me, crossing her arms over her chest as if mentally reprimanding me. Those seemingly uncaring half-lidded eyes stared at me as if I had stolen cigarettes. But she didn't say anything.

"I didn't protect anyone. I let others be hurt…I…I showed weakness…for you!" Angrily pushing off the ground, I towered over her. Whilst I stood she merely glared at me as she followed me with her eyes, not even caring to move her head.

I had told her a while ago that I had some sort of feeling for her, and she was the only one to knew. She could keep a secret. I told her not to respond, knowing that we couldn't be together anyways. A hero couldn't do that…love was a flaw.

Panting with anger as my mind raced through thoughts once again, her eyes seemed to slightly penetrate me, but if anything they fueled me. I could feel Raven's presence inside me, as if she was trying to calm me, no matter how disappointed she looked. She told me she would always be there to help control my anger, for it had turned into a problem between us.

"I failed as a hero. I let someone die, Raven!" I argued, even if she hadn't even said a word. "I…failed…"

"I'm not saying it's your fault Robin," She finally replied in her famous monotone. "But even if it was, it was mistake."

"Heroes can't make mistakes either."

"Then what can a hero do?"

"Heroes are supposed to be there for everyone…they are there to protect. They can't make mistakes…" A sudden image of Cyborg's sobbing face came into mind, which made me snarl. "And they most certainly cannot cry like a baby."

Raven's eyes narrowed. Her hands moved to backhand me once more, but I was faster.

-Normal POV-

Raven felt her wrist being squeezed slightly by the Boy Wonder.

"It's no use Raven because you know I'm right."

"You've never been more wrong." Snapping her hand back, Raven's eyes narrowed even more. "Batman might have taught you his way, but if you ever you want step out of his shadow, I suggest you take into consideration that a hero is not a robotic emotionless machine. A hero is a human—"

"A hero is more than a human—"

"In some ways a hero is more," She agreed at the bare minimum. "Heroes are maybe even put ABOVE regular humans, but that doesn't change us from what we were. You're human behind the mask, and you're allowed to cry, you're allowed to make mistakes…hell you could even make many mistakes, Robin."

"…" Robin looked as if he was about to say something, and Raven looked as if she was ready to listen…but he shut his mouth, letting the air leave through his nose.

"Cyborg didn't just let that boy die, Robin. He must have put up hell to try and protect him. But that boy was being manipulated…and once he was finished being controlled, he would die. It was no one's fault."

"…So I can, I mean…" Robin stuttered a bit, "Raven." He breathed, almost relived.

"Yeah?"

Robin suddenly shook his head, "I guess it's just better to hear someone else say it."

Raven paused. "Say what?" She gave a him a curious look.

"It's nice to hear that I'm human too…" Robin chuckled. Raven looked down a bit, letting a small chuckle out. That made Robin smirk childishly, as if he were winning a medal.

They stood like that for a while, reminiscing in their own pondering

An immediate impulse made Robin step forward, his head tilting to the side, as he was about to send a suave kiss to Raven. When their lips were about to meet, Robin paused. His eyes traveled upwards from their lock on her lips, to see Raven looking at him, square in the mask.

His lips lingered over hers as neither moved. From his point of view, he had figured out that she had quite interesting shades of pink in her violet eyes.

"Tell me Robin, did Batman ever teach you to hesitate?"

Robin blinked; he had been so enthralled with the multi-colored shades of her eyes that he hadn't even noticed how long he was taking…

"…Huh?"

Raven smirked, rolling her eyes before turning around heading for the door.

"Teaching you that you're human is one of the many things I'm going to have to teach you, Boy Blunder."

--

For Alena-Chan's challenge! Woot woot! Why? Because she deserves to have stories written for her very WILL. I mean seriously, don't tell me you haven't spent like…a whole day just letting her stories entertain you? I think it's HIGH TIME we repay the favor.

-Monica


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